— Pope John XXIII
Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Merry Christmas!
— Pope John XXIII
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Last Sunday of Advent
The 4th week of Advent is really only 2 days long this year. Happy Christmas Eve to all.
Christmas Eve
"God has done everything; he has done the impossible: he was made flesh. His all-powerful love has accomplished something which surpasses all human understanding: the Infinite has become a child, has entered the human family. And yet, this same God cannot enter my heart unless I open the door to him." — Pope Benedict XVI
Thursday, December 19, 2019
Best of the season
In no particular order:
1. Christmas music: literally some of the best music is for Christmas!
2. Cookies: this week's selection is Peanut Butter Blossoms
3. Decorations: such fun and favorite decorations all around the house
4. Good will: So nice to say Merry Christmas and get the same greeting back.
1. Christmas music: literally some of the best music is for Christmas!
2. Cookies: this week's selection is Peanut Butter Blossoms
3. Decorations: such fun and favorite decorations all around the house
4. Good will: So nice to say Merry Christmas and get the same greeting back.
Third Week of Advent
Gaudete! Gaudete!
Christus est natus ex Maria virgine.
Gaudete!
Tempus adest gratiae, hoc quod optabamus;
carmina laetitiae devote reddamus.
Deus homo factus est, natura mirante;
mundus renovatus est a Christo regnante.
Ezechiellis porta clausa pertransitur;
unde lux est orta, salus invenitur.
Ergo nostra contio psallat iam in lustro;
Benedicat Domino; salus regi nostro.
English Translation
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Christ is born of the Virgin Mary.
Rejoice!
At this time of grace and longed-for blessing,
Love faithfully offers a song of praise.
God is made human in this wonderful birth:
The world is cleansed through the rule of Christ.
The gate of heaven now opens which to us was closed,
Sending forth transforming light through which holiness is found.
Therefore we meet in pure songs of joy;
We bless the Lord, King of our Salvation.
Friday, December 13, 2019
Advent
"Advent’s intention is to awaken the most profound and basic emotional memory within us, namely, the memory of the God who became a child. This is a healing memory; it brings hope."
— Pope Benedict XVI
— Pope Benedict XVI
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
December happenings
Sending out Christmas cards and packages, wishing all well.
Enjoying the dusting of snow and laughing that there was a 2 hour delay this morning. Obviously, this is the South.
Marian is heavy into auditions this week for both The Little Mermaid and the ACE Awards (formerly the Bijou Awards). While she is in her element singing and performing, I know that there is anxiety too.
More car troubles, Anna's had to be brought in again, but it was fixed quickly. Marian's car goes in tomorrow, UGH.
Listening to one of my favorite albums of all time.
Enjoying the dusting of snow and laughing that there was a 2 hour delay this morning. Obviously, this is the South.
Marian is heavy into auditions this week for both The Little Mermaid and the ACE Awards (formerly the Bijou Awards). While she is in her element singing and performing, I know that there is anxiety too.
More car troubles, Anna's had to be brought in again, but it was fixed quickly. Marian's car goes in tomorrow, UGH.
Listening to one of my favorite albums of all time.
2nd week of Advent
God of hope, who brought love into this world,
be the love that dwells between us.
God of hope, who brought peace into this world,
be the peace that dwells between us.
God of hope, who brought joy into this world,
be the joy that dwells between us.
God of hope, the rock we stand upon,
be the center, the focus of our lives
always, and particularly this Advent time.
Thursday, December 5, 2019
First week of Advent
Shopping for Giving Tree...why is so much fun to shop for 1 year old kids?
Choir Concert tonight! Love to hear all the Christmas music.
Prayers for those far and near:
Almighty God, We bless you for our lives, we give you praise for your abundant mercy and grace we receive. We thank you for your faithfulness even though we are not that faithful to you.
Lord Jesus, we ask you to give us all around peace in our mind, body, soul and spirit. We want you to heal and remove everything that is causing stress, grief, and sorrow in our lives.
Please guide our path through life and make our enemies be at peace with us. Let your peace reign in our family, at our place of work, businesses and everything we lay our hands on. Let your angels of peace go ahead of us when we go out and stay by our side when we return. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Choir Concert tonight! Love to hear all the Christmas music.
Prayers for those far and near:
Almighty God, We bless you for our lives, we give you praise for your abundant mercy and grace we receive. We thank you for your faithfulness even though we are not that faithful to you.
Lord Jesus, we ask you to give us all around peace in our mind, body, soul and spirit. We want you to heal and remove everything that is causing stress, grief, and sorrow in our lives.
Please guide our path through life and make our enemies be at peace with us. Let your peace reign in our family, at our place of work, businesses and everything we lay our hands on. Let your angels of peace go ahead of us when we go out and stay by our side when we return. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Fall..where has the time gone!?
Been a super busy fall, as you can tell from a complete lack of postings.
Marian is in the middle of a busy junior year. Very demanding classes. She's had trouble with physics, and she may end up dropping it altogether. She did the fall play, Little Women, staring as Beth, the sweet and musical one who dies in the second act. She loves the book and was excited to help stage one of her favorite stories. Little Mermaid comes next! We also started visiting colleges and saw 2 of them in October. Hopefully, we'll see more in the spring. She will also be taking the ACT test soon.
Anna still continues caring for babies at her day job as a daycare teacher. She was sad to see her twins move on to the toddler room recently, as she cared for them since the beginning. She has been active in many plays and musicals at the Oak Ridge Playhouse, a local community theatre.
Gabriel's big news is that he's accepted a position at Grand Rounds for a post-graduation job. Check them out at https://grandrounds.com/ He's super excited and will be based in San Francisco, a place he loves.
Doula training continues and I've had my first doula birth, looking forward to the next one.
All will be home for Thanksgiving and we're looking forward to some R&R.
Marian is in the middle of a busy junior year. Very demanding classes. She's had trouble with physics, and she may end up dropping it altogether. She did the fall play, Little Women, staring as Beth, the sweet and musical one who dies in the second act. She loves the book and was excited to help stage one of her favorite stories. Little Mermaid comes next! We also started visiting colleges and saw 2 of them in October. Hopefully, we'll see more in the spring. She will also be taking the ACT test soon.
Anna still continues caring for babies at her day job as a daycare teacher. She was sad to see her twins move on to the toddler room recently, as she cared for them since the beginning. She has been active in many plays and musicals at the Oak Ridge Playhouse, a local community theatre.
Gabriel's big news is that he's accepted a position at Grand Rounds for a post-graduation job. Check them out at https://grandrounds.com/ He's super excited and will be based in San Francisco, a place he loves.
Doula training continues and I've had my first doula birth, looking forward to the next one.
All will be home for Thanksgiving and we're looking forward to some R&R.
Monday, August 26, 2019
Goodbye to summer
School has now been going for a month and while the weather may not show it, that summer feeling is definitely over. It used to be Labor Day was the official end of summer, but not here in Oak Ridge!
Marian is well on her way in her Junior year, that difficult and heavily loaded academic year. She is already feeling it. She was just cast in Little Women and will play Beth. She is also assistant stage manager for Blithe Spirit at the Oak Ridge Playhouse. That's fun, but tiring. Luckily, she has 3 days off and can catch up on sleep and homework!
Anna is doing well at her job and just welcomed a new baby in her daycare room. She is also helping out with backstage work at the Oak Ridge Playhouse and loves doing both onstage and backstage work. She just had a car accident, but she and the other passenger were fine, the car needs some work and we are still waiting to hear about the cost of repairs and she is still waiting to hear from the insurance company.
Gabriel began classes today for his senior year, hard to believe! He had a good time at his internship this summer in SF and is beginning the work of applying for a REAL job. He has a number of prospects and we are hopeful he will find a good fit.
Bogdan has been all over recently, a week long and arduous job in Idaho (did you know there is a National Lab in Idaho?) and then another 3 day job in Canada. He's still recovering and catching up on sleep. The good news is that he officially reached his 10 year anniversary and his pension milestone!
Costuming Little Women will consume most of my time this Fall. I'll be training someone in September to take over my medical billing practice and I'm also well on my way in my doula training. Have I mentioned that I'm changing jobs to become a doula? My goal is to start full time in April of 2021.
Marian is well on her way in her Junior year, that difficult and heavily loaded academic year. She is already feeling it. She was just cast in Little Women and will play Beth. She is also assistant stage manager for Blithe Spirit at the Oak Ridge Playhouse. That's fun, but tiring. Luckily, she has 3 days off and can catch up on sleep and homework!
Anna is doing well at her job and just welcomed a new baby in her daycare room. She is also helping out with backstage work at the Oak Ridge Playhouse and loves doing both onstage and backstage work. She just had a car accident, but she and the other passenger were fine, the car needs some work and we are still waiting to hear about the cost of repairs and she is still waiting to hear from the insurance company.
Gabriel began classes today for his senior year, hard to believe! He had a good time at his internship this summer in SF and is beginning the work of applying for a REAL job. He has a number of prospects and we are hopeful he will find a good fit.
Bogdan has been all over recently, a week long and arduous job in Idaho (did you know there is a National Lab in Idaho?) and then another 3 day job in Canada. He's still recovering and catching up on sleep. The good news is that he officially reached his 10 year anniversary and his pension milestone!
Costuming Little Women will consume most of my time this Fall. I'll be training someone in September to take over my medical billing practice and I'm also well on my way in my doula training. Have I mentioned that I'm changing jobs to become a doula? My goal is to start full time in April of 2021.
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
June is busting out all over
Heavy rain is leading to cooler temperatures here in TN. But, lots of flooding. None in our area, but in neighboring communities. A developer has cleared land adjacent and across from our property and plans to build 3 houses. Not sure how they will accomplish this across the street as it's significantly lower than the road, and will likely flood. Not my problem :)
Marian is having fun at Governor's School for the Arts, competed in a talent show and won it (are we surprised?) She did a duet with another girl and won a plaque, which she plans to saw in half to share with the other singer.
Anna is busy with rehearsals for 9 to 5 (the musical) and has applied to some new jobs. Her current position does not offer health insurance, nor paid holidays, so she has applied to both the University-run childcare and the local healthcare conglomerate (Covenant Health) in their hospital childcare. While she likes where she works, she realizes that she can make more money and get better benefits at another location.
Gabriel has started his internship and all seems to be going well so far. He moved in with friends who are also in San Francisco this summer and that seems to be a bonus for all. He admitted to being lonely the past 2 summers without anyone there with him.
We are hosting a French exchange student, Pierre, and he should be here in a month or so. We don't know too much about him, but hope his year here will be a good one. We will only have him for 3-4 months and then he will move to another host family.
Marian is having fun at Governor's School for the Arts, competed in a talent show and won it (are we surprised?) She did a duet with another girl and won a plaque, which she plans to saw in half to share with the other singer.
Anna is busy with rehearsals for 9 to 5 (the musical) and has applied to some new jobs. Her current position does not offer health insurance, nor paid holidays, so she has applied to both the University-run childcare and the local healthcare conglomerate (Covenant Health) in their hospital childcare. While she likes where she works, she realizes that she can make more money and get better benefits at another location.
Gabriel has started his internship and all seems to be going well so far. He moved in with friends who are also in San Francisco this summer and that seems to be a bonus for all. He admitted to being lonely the past 2 summers without anyone there with him.
We are hosting a French exchange student, Pierre, and he should be here in a month or so. We don't know too much about him, but hope his year here will be a good one. We will only have him for 3-4 months and then he will move to another host family.
Monday, May 27, 2019
May is almost gone too!
School ends in another week, but for Marian, it will done on Friday. Then with no break, she goes to Governor's School for the Arts and will be there for a 3 week long intensive theatre experience. It will cram a semester long class into 3 weeks! She is happy for the school year to end and glad her sophomore year is finishing.
Marian has once again created a summer bucket list. On it this time are: make a music video, ride a horse, commit a felony (!), make a time capsule, teach the cats a trick, buy red shoes, read a Shakespeare play, crash a wedding or party of a stranger, go lactose-free for a week, and many more (there are 44 this year!)
Bogdan is having (and of course, we are all helping) his Annual Memorial Day BBQ today. It's been going on for 6 or 7 years now, can't recall exactly. Anyway, each year he invites all his work colleagues over, like 150+ people. But, thankfully we never have more than 80! This year, it's supposed to be about 60 people. We grill brats, burger, and hot dogs and the party attendees bring everything else. I always say, well at least once a year, the house gets cleaned, inside and out!
Anna has been cast in the summer musical at the Oak Ridge Playhouse, 9 to 5 (the musical). She's excited to be in the ensemble, and it should be a fun musical. Based on the 80's movie and all the music written by East TN's own Dolly Parton.
Gabriel leaves on Saturday (or Sunday?) for San Francisco for his internship, he's really excited. Marian and I will be going on a long weekend to visit him when he's there.
Marian has once again created a summer bucket list. On it this time are: make a music video, ride a horse, commit a felony (!), make a time capsule, teach the cats a trick, buy red shoes, read a Shakespeare play, crash a wedding or party of a stranger, go lactose-free for a week, and many more (there are 44 this year!)
Bogdan is having (and of course, we are all helping) his Annual Memorial Day BBQ today. It's been going on for 6 or 7 years now, can't recall exactly. Anyway, each year he invites all his work colleagues over, like 150+ people. But, thankfully we never have more than 80! This year, it's supposed to be about 60 people. We grill brats, burger, and hot dogs and the party attendees bring everything else. I always say, well at least once a year, the house gets cleaned, inside and out!
Anna has been cast in the summer musical at the Oak Ridge Playhouse, 9 to 5 (the musical). She's excited to be in the ensemble, and it should be a fun musical. Based on the 80's movie and all the music written by East TN's own Dolly Parton.
Gabriel leaves on Saturday (or Sunday?) for San Francisco for his internship, he's really excited. Marian and I will be going on a long weekend to visit him when he's there.
Sunday, April 21, 2019
Saturday, April 20, 2019
Holy Saturday reflection
My Lord, today all is silent. You have given Your precious life for the salvation of the world. You died a horrific death, poured out all Mercy from Your wounded Heart, and now You rest in peace in the tomb as the soldiers keep vigil.
Lord, may I also keep vigil with You as You sleep. I know that this day ends with Your glorious triumph, Your victory over sin and death. But for now I sit quietly mourning Your death.
Help me, dear Lord, to enter into the sorrow and the silence of this Holy Saturday. Today no Sacraments are celebrated. Today the world waits in mourning in anticipation of the glory of new life!
As I keep vigil, awaiting the celebration of Your Resurrection, fill me with hope. Help me to look forward to the celebration of Your Resurrection, but also to look forward to the hope of my own share in the new life You won for the world. I entrust my whole being to You, dear Lord, as You lay lifeless and still. May Your rest transform the brokenness of my own soul, my weaknesses, my sin and my frailty. You are glorious and You bring the greatest good out of Your apparent defeat. I trust in Your power to do all things and I entrust my life to You. Jesus, I trust in You.
(From mycatholic.life)
Lord, may I also keep vigil with You as You sleep. I know that this day ends with Your glorious triumph, Your victory over sin and death. But for now I sit quietly mourning Your death.
Help me, dear Lord, to enter into the sorrow and the silence of this Holy Saturday. Today no Sacraments are celebrated. Today the world waits in mourning in anticipation of the glory of new life!
As I keep vigil, awaiting the celebration of Your Resurrection, fill me with hope. Help me to look forward to the celebration of Your Resurrection, but also to look forward to the hope of my own share in the new life You won for the world. I entrust my whole being to You, dear Lord, as You lay lifeless and still. May Your rest transform the brokenness of my own soul, my weaknesses, my sin and my frailty. You are glorious and You bring the greatest good out of Your apparent defeat. I trust in Your power to do all things and I entrust my life to You. Jesus, I trust in You.
(From mycatholic.life)
Thursday, April 11, 2019
Readings for Holy Week
Re-reading one of my favorite books The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything by James Martin, SJ. A great read. Also highly recommended is The Saints' Guide to Happiness: Practical Lessons in the Life of the Spirit by Robert Ellsberg.
Something to ponder for the upcoming Holy Week.
Something to ponder for the upcoming Holy Week.
March and April almost gone!
March was a whirlwind, with Marian starring in Annie and then a much needed vacation. It is now officially spring and we are appreciating the Lilac bush in the yard. Everything blooms earlier here in TN. Production and rehearsal pictures from the production. She will be spending the month of June at Gov. School for the Arts in the Theatre division. She is super excited.
Gabriel will be heading to San Francisco for his internship at the self-driving car company.
Anna is still working at the daycare center and keeping busy, she will be helping out back stage for the upcoming Steel Magnolias and 9 to 5.
Just finished a large women's convention, for which I was the president, and now have stepped down from that position, so now just my usual busy-ness.
Bogdan is hoping his afterschool drone club will be able to finish their project by school's end, he had to schedule an extra building session. :)
Gabriel will be heading to San Francisco for his internship at the self-driving car company.
Anna is still working at the daycare center and keeping busy, she will be helping out back stage for the upcoming Steel Magnolias and 9 to 5.
Just finished a large women's convention, for which I was the president, and now have stepped down from that position, so now just my usual busy-ness.
Bogdan is hoping his afterschool drone club will be able to finish their project by school's end, he had to schedule an extra building session. :)
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Busy days all around
Marian received her driver's license and we are rejoicing in not being her chauffeur any more. Of course, now we have to worry about her more and pay for insurance. She is very busy lately with rehearsals. She has had only 2 days off in all of January and February. It's been tiring, but she's doing a great job. The wigs arrived and she is unrecognizable in the red wigs. I had to look a couple times to make sure it was her!
Anna has been battling all the sicknesses that her clientele bring to the daycare and share with everyone. She hasn't gotten the flu, but seems to have a constant cold. She is working backstage at nights lately, helping with wigs for a staging of "To Kill a Mockingbird".
Happy Birthday to both Anna and Karen
Anna has been battling all the sicknesses that her clientele bring to the daycare and share with everyone. She hasn't gotten the flu, but seems to have a constant cold. She is working backstage at nights lately, helping with wigs for a staging of "To Kill a Mockingbird".
Happy Birthday to both Anna and Karen
Sunday, January 20, 2019
Tuesday, January 1, 2019
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